A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) by Jeanette Raleigh Page B

Raven’s neck, feeling for a pulse.
    Fire whispered, You
need me.  Emptiness and Fire are the Void’s greatest enemies.
    Jade felt helpless
and frantic.  She called out to Fire, “If you can save her, do it. Whatever you
need. Just tell me what to do.”
    She felt heat flow
from her hand into Raven.  Although deliciously warm to Jade, to the Void the
heat burned like a branding iron. Raven’s body screamed. To Jade it sounded
like she was hurting Raven.  The scream carried a strange echo within itself.
    Pulling away, Jade
said, “I’m sorry. Raven.”
    Fire pushed
forward, holding the heat to the ice of Raven’s existence. She said, That’s
not Raven. Put your hand on her head.
    Jade did as  instructed,
anxious that she might kill her sister with the heat.
    Fire’s next
thoughts tormented her.  Fire said, She’s practically dead already.  You
can’t kill her. If we stop, she’s already dead.
    Fire and Jade
poured on the heat until Raven’s white face turned pink.
    “Wake up,” Jade shook
Raven. She felt so relieved when Raven opened her eyes that she didn’t notice
what was missing.
     
    ~~ Raven ~~
     
    Raven threw
herself against the wall of her prison. It was pitch black and tiny.  When she
tried to move she was caught in a strange web that held her in an impossible
grip, and yet nothing was physically touching her.
    It was like
gravity, maybe it was gravity.  Raven felt as if she was caught in a
deep swimming pool and trying to sprint through the water. At some point her
movement became so heavy that it stopped.
    Physically Raven
was on that Sacred Mountain with Jade.  She knew that this trap was mental or
spiritual.  Somehow she had to break free and get back.
    Raven had no idea
how to win.  She was missing a vital part of herself, the smarts, the cunning
that gave her an edge.  Here in this strange midnight darkness she had been
brought down to an essence of spirit, whole and complete unto itself, but with
no physical matter or mind to interact with.  She was incomplete.
    Raven tried to
think, but her thoughts were quiet and slow. She knew that Emptiness and Fire
were enemies of the Void.  What was the Void?  The Unmaker lived at the edge of
the Universe in utter darkness. Some people thought the Emptiness and the Void
were the same thing, but the Emptiness was that pregnant moment right before
something is created.
    Although Raven was
only a spirit, she knew that even spirits carried the essence of their being. 
Raven drew Fire to herself. Somehow since the Void had trapped her, Fire became
close while Air grew distant.  Fire’s warmth gave Raven hope.  Next she drew
Emptiness, the spaces between atoms dancing with electromagnetic energy from
Fire.
    As she
strengthened herself, the web loosened, but Raven was still trapped.
     
     
     
    ~~ Mindy ~~
     
     
    Earth’s bonds were
tighter since the Spirit Walk started.  Mindy could hear Earth calling her
clearly.  The Void had withdrawn from Raven completely, but it had taken
something of her with it. Mindy approached her older sisters cautiously. 
    Jade was helping
Raven up from the ground.  Raven shook so hard her teeth chattered.  She was
too busy worrying about Raven being cold.  She didn’t see, didn’t notice that
Raven was a shadow of herself.
    Mindy said it
aloud.  “Missing.”
    Jade
misunderstood.  She said, “What?  Is Claire okay? Where did she go?”
    Mindy pointed at
Raven.
    “Raven.”  Mindy
said.
    “She needs help
getting back to camp.” Jade answered, hoping she could get through to her
sister.
    Mindy was used to
being misunderstood.  She walked beside Jade while Jade half carried, half-held
Raven up while they walked back to camp. Mindy didn’t dare touch Raven. The
Void would love to have Mindy in its grasp.
     
     
    ~~ Raven ~~
     
    Raven squeezed her
eyes shut.  They ached from being so cold.  Her fingers felt aflame.  She said,
“Mindy was talking about me, when she said, missing